"Weekly attacks in Iraq are now at an average of 11,343."
No, that is not from a major newspapers, though it should be.
Those all have top-pieces today about a DoD report to Congress and highlight that report’s numbers of recorded attacks in Iraq. As stenographed by the fishwraps and according to the DOD report there were on average 959 attacks per week during the last three month.
But only two weeks ago the Iraq Study Group explained that these DoD numbers are systematically skewed to reflect only some 8.5% of the real number of attacks in Iraq. Still none of the papers reports puts any doubts on the DoD numbers or relates them to the ISG findings.
But they inform the public.
Quotes:
The Pentagon said yesterday that violence in Iraq soared this fall to its highest level on record and acknowledged that anti-U.S. fighters have achieved a "strategic success" by unleashing a spiral of sectarian killings by Sunni and Shiite death squads that threatens Iraq’s political institutions.
In its most pessimistic report yet on progress in Iraq, the Pentagon described a nation listing toward civil war, with violence at record highs of 959 attacks per week, declining public confidence in government and "little progress" toward political reconciliation.
Pentagon Cites Success Of Anti-U.S. Forces in Iraq, WaPo, Dec. 19, 2006
For this report, the term “attacks” refers to specific incidents reported in the Multi-National Corps-Iraq (MNC-I) Significant Activities Database. It includes known attacks on Coalition forces, the ISF, the civilian population, and infrastructure. Attacks typically consist of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), small arms fire, and indirect fire weapons.
Defense Department quarterly report to Congress: Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq
(PDF), Dec. 18, 2006
In addition, there is significant underreporting of the violence in Iraq. The standard for
recording attacks acts as a filter to keep events out of reports and databases. A murder of an Iraqi
is not necessarily counted as an attack. If we cannot determine the source of a sectarian attack,
that assault does not make it into the database. A roadside bomb or a rocket or mortar attack
that doesn’t hurt U.S. personnel doesn’t count. For example, on one day in July 2006 there
were 93 attacks or significant acts of violence reported. Yet a careful review of the reports for that
single day brought to light 1,100 acts of violence. Good policy is difficult to make when
information is systematically collected in a way that minimizes its discrepancy with policy
goals.
IRAQ STUDY GROUP REPORT (PDF), Dec. 6, 2006
For journos and editors: 959 * 1,100 / 93 = 11,343